The Obama administration will give a vast array of “nonlethal” supplies, from boots to halal meals, to the Libyan rebels as part of an infusion of $25 million in aid.

But officials stressed that the supplies come from Pentagon surplus and are not new purchases, and that nothing will be sent to rebel positions that could be considered offensive military assets in their fight against Moammar Khadafy’s forces.

The list of items includes medical supplies, uniforms, binoculars tents, personal protective gear and radios. Initially, the administration included vehicles and portable fuel-storage tanks, but they were dropped because they could be put to offensive use.

President Obama upped the ante by approving the use of armed Predator drone aircraft, the Pentagon said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the rebels registered their first major victory in western Libya in weeks with the seizure of a post at Wazen on the Tunisian border.

Seizing Wazen could open key supply routes for the rebels, who are reported desperately short of supplies in Nalut and other outposts in western Libya.